Travels in India, 2020 - A Night in the Thar Desert

They say that camel-trekking is the perfect way to sample Thar desert life and, although neither of us had been on a camel since we'd crossed the Sahara back in the early '90s, as we were in the desert city of Jaisalmer it seemed crazy not to book a desert safari.

Competition between safari organisers is cut-throat and standards vary wildly with everything from half-day tours to a month of full-on trekking. You can do glamping, staying in a luxury tent with an attached bathroom, dining on lavish continental-style buffet meals with at least 100 other tourists with entertainment provided by a troupe of Rajasthani dancing girls or there's the more authentic option - where you sleep on a string bed under the stars, eat simple vegetarian food cooked over a campfire, enjoying the company of a handful of travellers and the camel men themselves (and, when nature calls, you head off to a sand dune with a torch!) 

I'm sure you can guess which option we chose.

We'd booked our trip with The Real Desert Man Safari (HERE). Most of Jaisalmer's camel safaris are centred around the dunes at Sam, 40km west of the city, which the Lonely Planet warn are always crowded and are more of a carnival than a back-to-nature experience. The Real Desert Man offers treks off the beaten track, which appealed far more. 

Our twenty-four-hour adventure started with a visit to the abandoned village of Kuldhara, once home to the Paliwal Brahmins. A combination of persecution by a powerful minister, earthquakes and drought led to the area being abandoned almost overnight in the early 19th Century.

 After exploring the sublimely peaceful, honey-coloured ruins we made a brief stop at an oasis before continuing on our journey further into the Thar desert. 

No sooner had we disembarked from jeep than we were introduced to our camels and told to climb on, somewhat disconcerting, with it being a quarter of a century since we'd last ridden a camel! Amazingly we managed it, with our dignity intact, and grasping the knob mounted on the front of the saddle, held on for dear life.

I managed to ferret my camera from the bottom of my bag and take this quick shot atop my camel before stowing it safely away.

As we meandered through the Thar desert we saw chinkaras (Indian gazelles), desert eagles and even a couple of adorable white-footed desert foxes. Micky, the dog in the photo, belongs to the camel men and trotted alongside the entire time.

Nine kilometres later, with sore bums and aching thighs, we'd reached our destination. My camel was called Bablu (like our friend at the Gouri Haveli).

 Jon's camel was an elegant young chap named Mango with an adorable curly coat. Both were gentle creatures, none of the spitting or uncouth behaviour normally associated with camels!

After we'd dismounted, the guides removed the camels' seats and they ambled away. We asked what would happen the following morning and were told that they'd come back when they'd eaten and rested. There was no need to tether them, the camels are loved by the camel men and in turn, love them back, they have no reason to run off. 

Glamping? No thanks! Home for the night was a traditional Indian charpoy string bed out in the open, piled high with blankets, the desert gets extremely cold during the Rajasthani winter months.

We hung our bags from the fence and cavorted in the sand dunes.

Freshly brewed chai in hand, we sat watching the sunset accompanied by some tasty vegetable pakoras, rustled up by the camel men.

 Watching the sunset over the sand dunes, turning from a deep golden yellow to a rich blood-red as it sunk from the sky, was truly mesmerising. Once it had vanished the temperature plummeted and we scuttled back to our bags to retrieve our coats, scarves, and gloves.

Back at camp, dinner was almost ready. We cracked open a couple of bottles of Kingfisher and sat beside a roaring campfire, exchanging stories with our fellow travellers - two married couples from Dorset, five Aussie exchange students from Melbourne and four Indian tourists who'd been friends since university.

By 9pm we were all feeling the desert chill and retreated to our beds.

And this is why you don't need a posh tent (or a roof) - just look at that beautiful inky blue sky! The shooting stars we witnessed that night took our breath away, something we'll never forget.

During the night I awoke to find my legs were pinned down and I was unable to move. At first, I thought that I'd inadvertently rolled into my neighbour's bed but on further investigation discovered that a desert dog had cuddled up next to me for warmth. She stayed there all night.

At 7am the camel men brought us Chota hazri (bed tea), we wrapped our cold fingers around the tin mugs, inhaled the steam and watched the sunrise over the Thar Desert. For breakfast, we sat on the sand and shared plates of desert porridge, a wonderful sweet/savoury concoction, along with buttery finger bananas and juicy oranges while the men rolled up the bedding and lashed it to the camels' saddles, who thankfully had returned from their night out. All of the rubbish generated from our stay (beer & water bottles, fruit and veg peelings and crisp packets) was loaded into the support jeep, so it could be disposed of back in Jaisalmer.

By 9am we were back in our saddles and ready for another 9km trek. 

While we'd already had some amazing adventures during our travels in Rajasthan, our desert safari topped the lot, it was incredible and, at around £25 each (including beer and tips for the guides) fantastic value for money.

If you ever find yourself in Jaisalmer book yourself a trip with the Real Desert Camel Man, you won't regret it.

See you soon!

For more photos of our desert adventure see HERE.